> It should be noted that the Protel ASCII format is not only text based,
but
> it is self-documenting. All the records and fields are named wherever they
> occur. The library format is binary only, but one could import parts to a
> PCB file and then create a library from the PCB file.
True, but I think the reason for the gripe is that Protel files are not
native ASCII. To get ASCII, you have to export files, an extra step that
has to be done after each change to the original binary file.
I agree with Chris that Protel's native file format should be ASCII. Back
in the days when we were using 286 PCs, the faster and smaller binary file
formats made the difference between snappy and sluggish. Anyone remember
OrCad SDT III where you had to compose and decompose the libraries? OrCad
was fast, fast, fast, but used native binary formats. Nowadays with
stratospheric CPU clocks and RAM sizes, it is less of an issue. The EXEs
are 10 times the size of the board data!
Board data should be native ASCII because years later when someone wants you
to resurrect or modify an old design, you have data that you can read
without the program that created it. You probably won't have that old
program years from now! Even if you do, will it run on the computer you
have then? I recently read a science fiction book set in the present time
where one the characters in the story printed on paper anything he wanted to
save for the future. I thought this was hilarious until the next paragraph,
where he explained that paper records lasted longer than disk data (true)
and would always be compatible with future eyeballs (also true). We have
some floppies from late 80's/early 90's that are not readable anymore due to
magnetic decay. But we have plenty of paper office records from that time
that are still quite readable!
Best regards,
Ivan Baggett
Bagotronix Inc.
website: www.bagotronix.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Abd ul-Rahman Lomax" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Protel EDA Forum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2001 5:02 PM
Subject: Re: [PEDA] a lib. for everyone
> At 03:06 PM 7/26/01 -0400, chris mackensen wrote:
> >because
> >cadence's files are all OPEN and TEXT based and NOT ENCAPSULATED in a
> >DATABASE (and NOT BINARY), it was a matter of my perl script just parsing
> >Excel sheets of pin data (automatically saved as text files over the web)
> >and generating the concept/cadence schematic part as the appropriate TEXT
> >files.
>
> It should be noted that the Protel ASCII format is not only text based,
but
> it is self-documenting. All the records and fields are named wherever they
> occur. The library format is binary only, but one could import parts to a
> PCB file and then create a library from the PCB file.
>
>
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Abdulrahman Lomax
> P.O. Box 690
> El Verano, CA 95433
>
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